Nearly unplayable

I can’t play WoW!

I’d like to play WoW – I mean, I’m only 15 points or so from getting my blacksmithing to where I can make stuff with cobalt; I’ve got achievements I could rack up; I’d like to run dailies for lots of the factions, including Netherwing and Argent Crusade… Heck, I’d even like to level my priest.

But I can’t do it, gang. Why?

Yeah, that sums it up just about perfectly.

Granted, I play from the east coast of the US, on a west coast server, so there’s always a little latency, but it hovers at 190 – 230: what I consider the “barely noticeable” range. Lately, though, as soon as it hits 7pm EST, 1900ms is a low point. 2300ms is more likely. I’ve seen pings over 5000 and 6000ms. I get randomly disconnected walking from point A to point B. Casting an instant-cast like Bone Shield takes 10-20 seconds; mining takes an eternity, by which time the node’s been stolen from me.

And it’s not just Northrend. I know Blizzard is aware of the Northrend lag, and claims it’s due to Wintergrasp – but I somehow doubt Wintergrasp is making it impossible to dig up fel iron ore, or giving my priest 3200ms lag trying to lolsmite a bear in Feralas.

Is it on my end? Well, sure, I’d ordinarily think so, except that WoW is the only thing I have any problems playing – I’ve been playing Shin Megami Tensei Online when WoW is too unbearable, and there’s no lag at all.

In short, WoW is unplayable right now, and until it clears up, I’ll have to find my amusement elsewhere for most of primetime – and until that happens, the posts here won’t be terribly informative, I’m afraid. Sorry!